.: evil jungle prince :.

This is must be one of my all time favorites, and I'll never forget the time I experimentally sampled some in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. I'd never tried anything liked it and I could hardly believe the crunchy, vegetable-like papaya was really papaya. And added to this delightful crunch was that classic, savory Southeast Asian combination of garlic, fish sauce, salt, chili peppers, and lime juice. Awesome.

If you can can get your hands on a green papaya, you can easily prepare it too. If you have a Filipino or Thai grocery nearby, they are sure to have them. (Actually I can hardly believe that I have access to them myself -- who knows where they are trucked in from?) And if you're interested in making this dish into a full meal, just add some chilled shrimp and peanuts on top. This dish is called som tum in Thai, and tam som in Laotion.

1. To begin, cut the green papaya in two and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Next you will need to shred the papaya, using a shredding tool which can also be purchased at a Filipino market. (The tool I use has a coconut shredder on one end and a papaya shredder on the other end. The middle handle is made of wood.) Set aside.

2. Next pound the following in a mortar: 2 cloves garlic, 4-5 sliced hot chillies, and 1 diced tomato. Add one at a time and crush, adding the next ingredient when done.

3. To this mixture, now add 1 tsp fish sauce, 1 tsp sugar, and 2 tsp lime juice.

4. Finally, mix the seasonings with the green papaya, adding more lime juice to taste. Tip: don't add too much fish sauce or you will discolor the salad -- use some sea salt instead if it's not salty enough.

Enjoy! This dish comes from the area north of Thailand, which is why it only occasionally makes it onto Thai restaurant menus. However, don't hesitate to ask your local Thai restaurant if they have a secret stash of som tum in the back. Doing so has frequently rewarded me in the past!

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 05:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Today I get to post in a new good category -- Laos! When I stumbled on this simple recipe for Lao hot-and-sour mushroom and tomato soup, my mouth immediately began to water. For such a basic dish, it managed to pack in many of my favorite flavors: lemongrass, kaffir lime, galangal, chili, and coriander. No doubt about it: this is a Southeast Asian soup if there ever was one. The original recipe does not call for tofu, but by adding a few tofu cubes I was able to make this into a meal.

1. First I brought half a pot of water to a boil and added a vegetable stock cube. I then began adding the fresh ingredients: 1 stalk of lemongrass cut into large pieces (lightly crushed to release the oils), 3 kaffir lime leaves, 1 knob of galangal thinly sliced, 2-3 sliced mushrooms, 5-6 sliced chili peppers (both green and red). I then added soy sauce and salt to taste.

2. After simmering the soup for a few minutes to combine the flavors, I turned off the heat and added 2 freshly sliced tomatoes and a few cubes of tofu. Once they were warm, I laddled out the soup into individual bowls and added fresh lime juice and coriander to taste.

Served with freshly cooked rice, this made for a light, fresh, zesty meal.

Posted by Evil Jungle Prince at 08:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)